Menen (; ; or ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located in the Belgian province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 km² which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 980 inhabitants per km². The city of Menen gives its name to the Menin Gate in Ypres, which is a monument to those killed in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. The gate is so called as the road from that gate is the road to Menen. The town hall of Menen, with its large belfry, was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

in 1999 as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, because of its civic importance and architecture.

History

Menen's position near the French border led to many sieges in the history of the city. There were as many as 22 sieges between 1579 and 1830. The city was part of

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

between 1668 and 1713. Vauban turned Menen into a model-fortification (1679–1689). The city was besieged and taken by the Duke of Marlborough's allied Army in August 1706. Between 1744 and 1748, it was again under French rule after the Siege of Menin (1744). There was a devastating fire in 1750, that almost completely destroyed the city. During the Flanders Campaign of the Wars of the French Revolution the city changed hands several times. It was also the scene of a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force co ...

in September 1793. Menen was a barrier town for the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

against France from 1715 to 1781. In 2013, the city drew international attention by forbidding its civil servants to speak French with

francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

s. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilitie ...

, , ordered that, if necessary, the communication should be in

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with #Non-manual elements, no ...

Culture

A new art museum, the Stadsmuseum ’t Schippershof, opened in 1999, holds many works by Menen-born sculptor Yvonne Serruys. Opposite 't Schippershof there is the cultural center CC De Steiger that houses the city's theater,

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending library, that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil servic ...

and a concert space for live music.

Gallery

File:Townhall Menen.jpg, Townhall Menen File:Belfry of Menen (DSCF9322).jpg, Belfry File:Menen - Schippershof 1.jpg, in Menen. File:Sint-Franciscuskerk, Menen (DSCF9328).jpg, Sint-Franciscuskerk File:Cc de steiger menen.jpg, CC de steiger Menen File:Cemitary Menen.png, Cemetery Menen: WW1 and WW2 allied Soldiers and Resistance fighters File:Provinciaal Mausoleum van Politieke gevangenen Menen.jpg, Provincial Mausoleum of Political Prisoners File:Menen duits kerkhof.jpg, German

military cemetery File:Menen, de watertoren oeg55937 foto5 205-08-09 17.17.jpg, Watertower File:Menen, molen de Goede Hoop oeg55911 foto4 2015-08-09 10.54.jpg, Windmill: molen de Goede Hoop File:Menen - Casemates 1.jpg, Menen casemates File:Generaal J. Van der Mersch.JPG, Statue of General Jean-André van der Mersch

Towns

The municipality of Menen consists of Menen proper, Lauwe and Rekkem. In the area of Rekkem, there is also the hamlet of , separated from Rekkem proper by the A14/ E17. In addition to the central town, Menen proper also contains the parishes and districts of and . Menen proper is mainly located north of the Leie; Lauwe and Rekkem are located south of the river. The urban area of the city of Menen is directly connected with the urban area of the French municipality of

Halluin Halluin (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography It is located at the north of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, on the Belgium, Belgian border ...

. The municipality of Menen borders the following villages: *a. Moorsele (Wevelgem) *b. Wevelgem (Wevelgem) *c. Marke (Kortrijk) *d. Aalbeke (Kortrijk) *e. Mouscron (

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

) *f. Neuville-en-Ferrain (

) *g.

(

) *h. Wervik (Wervik) *i. Geluwe (Wervik)

Notable people from Menen

* Jonathan Breyne (born 1991), cyclist * Yves Chauvin (1930–2015), French chemist, Nobel Prize winner 2005 * Françoise Chombar (born 1962), entrepreneur

* Paul Deman (1889–1961), cyclist * Bernard Lietaer, (1942–2019), economist, was born in Lauwe * Jean-André van der Mersch (1734–1792), leader of the Brabant patriots in the Brabant Revolution in 1789 * Arthur Van Overberghe (born 1990), cyclist * Yvonne Serruys (1873–1953), Franco-Belgian artist * Gerard Vandenbussche (1902–1986) entrepreneur * Louis Verhelst (born 1990), cyclist * Albert Wauquier (born 1940), neurophysiologist, sleep medicine, writer * (born 1928), sculptor

Politics

Mayors

* 1921-1938: August Debunne (socialist) * 1939-1942: Armand Deweerdt (liberal) * 1944-1946: Armand Deweerdt (liberal) * 1947-1964: René Gombert (liberal) * 1964-1982: Paul Isebaert (N/D) * 1983-1989: Fernand Dehaene (Christian Democrat) * 1989-1994: Gilbert Bossuyt (Socialist) * 1995-2000: Jean Libbrecht (liberal) * 2001-2012: Gilbert Bossuyt (socialist) ** 2003-2004: Karl Debuck (replacement mayor) * 2013-2018: Martine Fournier (Christian Democrat) * 2019-: Eddy Lust (liberal) The Chairs of the majority coalition are written in Bold: 2018 = New Flemish Alliance: 4, Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats: 6, SP.A/Greens: 8

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders Divided cities Vauban fortifications in Belgium